


In the Castle of the Thorns we Sleep

by MinorDeities



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders - Freeform, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders - Freeform, Dark Sides, Fear, Morality | Patton Sanders - Freeform, Panic Attacks, Post-Can lying be good?, Sanders Sides (Video Blogging RPF), Sleeping Beauty - Freeform, Violence, Wounded Roman, thorns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-03-14 09:20:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13587069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinorDeities/pseuds/MinorDeities
Summary: In the valley of the dolls we sleep,Got a hole inside of meLiving with identities,That do not belong to me---=+=---Roman had always been certain that it was Virgil who was the cause of Thomas’ reluctance to experience life to the fullest, but, after the reveal of Deceit and his self-named ‘Dark Sides’, just how correct is was he really?





	1. The Bad Beginning

For once, Thomas was at a loss for ideas.

                This was a rare occasion as Princey, his resident creativity, was never in short supply of ideas for videos and projects, however silly or ambitious they may be. Today, however, he felt dried up, like a shallow stream in a drought. He had wracked his brain for _hours_ now, and he was getting absolutely nothing. Both Talyn and Joan were busy with things, and he didn’t want to bother them, but at this point he was getting tired of coming up with the same basic and over-used ideas over and over again. And to make things worse, Roman wasn’t answering his summons.

Now usually, Thomas respected his sides’ privacy if they didn’t want to pop up and help him out with every single dilemma that presented itself to him, but he had put off making a video for a week now, mainly due to his shock over Deceit, and just how easily he had fooled him into fully believing he was Patton- looking back at it, it should have been obvious right from the get go, and Thomas should have paid more attention to Virgil, who had been suspicious of “Patton” from the beginning- but, but it had been nearly three weeks now, and he could almost _smell_ the growing restlessness of his fans, however many times they denied it and told him to take his time. His ‘fanders’ had been remarked by many other people to be the Canada of fandoms, and Thomas was eternally grateful to have ended up with such a good, peaceful and often extremely intelligent fandom- he’d take anything over the likes of the chaotic _Phandom_ , or the Voltron fandom, for that matter. Both fandoms were notorious for their rowdiness, and his kind and patient (on the most part, you did get the odd pusher) fans were one of the reasons Thomas wanted to make another video; he felt like he was letting them down by just dropping everything after the latest Sander Sides video. But still, he couldn’t get the haunting image of Deceit’s snake-like eye to leave him be, and his words kept playing over and over again in his head, like a broken record player stuck on two lines of a song that he would much rather prefer not to hear.

_‘Oh, you are, Thomas. You are a good person- everybody says so’_

What did those words mean, coming from the mouth of a creature who lied with every breath he inhaled? Was he truly a bad person? And did people truly think that about him?

Pushing the idea out of his head, Thomas stood up and stretched. The entire day had left him with an anxious knot in his stomach, which he had just put down to not having an idea for his self-imposed deadline. 

“Alright Roman, I’m kinda at a loss for ideas, buddy, so if you could help it’d be greatly appreciated,” Thomas announced to his empty living room, to no avail. Sighing, he repeated himself, “Listen, I know you might be watching _Moana_ or something, but please. I really need your help with this one,” Thomas closed his eyes, then opened them, hoping that when he did he’d see the familiar regal side gazing back at him with a dashing smile and an apology. However, he did not.  Only the silence glared back at him. The anxious knot in the bottom of his stomach tightened.

“Uh, Logan, Patton, Virgil?” Thomas asked, hearing two familiar _whoosh_ sounds in response. Thomas turned to see Virgil, Logan and Patton all looking at him curiously.

“Hello Thomas,” Logan greeted unceremoniously, “What can we help you with?”

“Have you guys seen Roman today?” Thomas inquired,

“Can’t say that I have, kiddo. Why, do you need him for something?” Patton replied cheerfully. Thomas explained that he really needed Roman’s help for a video, but he’d been ignoring his summons. Virgil scoffed;

“He’s probably just engrossed in a Disney movie,” The anxious side joked, however somewhat half-heartedly, “Last time I walked past his room, I’m pretty sure he was watching Sleeping Beauty, and _obnoxiously_ loud. Like, loud, even for Roman. And we all know his volume dial is stuck at 100% constantly,”   

The other sides all nodded in agreement. Roman was most definitely not the most humble personality-fragment to ever exist, and by a good mile. His over exaggerated love of everything Disney and his ever on-going quest to find “True Love” made him just a little…. flamboyant.  He was constantly finding himself at the butt of jokes from all three of the other sides, and even Thomas. However, the all had no doubt that his bulbous ego could handle a bit of banter- honestly, if Thomas had a dollar for every time Roman said something self-aggrandizing, he’d be able to out-buy Buckingham Palace from the Queen of England herself! However, Roman was also a kind and compassionate person, and he was always trying to help Thomas through any and all of Thomas’ problems that reared their ugly heads, so Thomas couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss. It wasn’t like him to miss out on all the fun.

However, Roman wasn’t the only one who was worrying Thomas. Something was most _definitely_ up with Virgil- his eye shadow was darker than he’d ever seen it before, and he had his headphones half-on under his hood. His breathing was shallow and forced, and his eyes were constantly darting around the room like a caged animal. He looked like he was on the verge- pun unintentional- of a panic attack, which was most likely the cause of the ever-expanding bundle of worry that had anchored itself in Thomas’ gut.

“Hey, Verge, you alright?” Thomas asked cautiously, careful not to be too loud, as to launch the hooded side into a full on panic attack. Virgil looked up at Thomas and nodded his head unconvincingly, leaning on the banister of the stairs whilst he attempted to steady his breathing. Thomas saw Logan and Patton exchange a worried glance from the corner of his eye, and he heard Patton take a deep breath.

“Here kiddo, remember,” Patton piped up, “breath in for four seconds,” Thomas could see Virgil physically counting the seconds, “hold your breath for seven seconds,” Virgil had closed his eyes at this point, “and exhale for eight seconds. There ya go! Told ya you could do it!”

Virgil opened his eyes, slightly more at ease

“Thanks, Pat,” he breathed, giving Morality a small smile of gratitude, “I don’t know what’s gotten into me,”

“It’s all good, friendo!” Patton laughed, his eyes squinting happily.

“But I do find it somewhat worrisome that Roman isn’t answering your summons, Thomas,” Logan interjected, “It’s most likely that he hasn’t been doing it on purpose, as you said, Virgil, however I can’t help but wonder if something else has happened, especially after the ordeal with Deceit that took place a few weeks ago.”

Once again, Thomas found Virgil looking away from Logan guiltily, almost like he knew something the others didn’t. Thomas made a mental note to ask him about it later.

“You think something bad’s happened to him?” Virgil asked incredulously.

“No, at the very most I think one of the… _others_ … may have found a way to lock him in his room,” Logan stately matter-of-factly.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me people like Deceit have the ability to _lock_ you in your _rooms_?” Thomas exclaimed, horrified.

“Well yes, any one of us sides could lock our- or each others’- doors, although we would either want to lock it, or be caught extremely off guard to do so. It runs on the same rules as shape-shifting; you can only do it if the person you’re shifting consents or is caught off guard.”

“Wait, so why didn’t you lock _your_ door when you ‘ducked out’ on Thomas, Virgil?” Patton inquired, turning to face him

Virgil sighed, “Because I never actually expected you guys to come looking for me. I thought you’d all throw a ‘good riddance’ party, if I’m being honest. Not that I’d blame you,”

Raising his voice over Patton’s passionate proclamations of fighting Virgil, Logan continued, “If he did, he was most likely taken off-kilter. All it will take is for us to go down there and let him out, simple as that. ”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”  Patton blurted out suddenly, like it was the most obvious course of action to ever exist.

“Well yes, I do agree that simply going down there to check on him would be a good idea,” Logan agreed, “And then you could ask him for help with one of those ‘videos’ that you put so much time and effort into. Y’know, instead of doing something actually productive with your time”

“Alright, I guess,” Thomas replied, ignoring Logan completely, “So, how exactly do I get there?”

“Simple. You just think of ideas and creativity- ideas you’ve had in the past, ideas you want to explore and develop more, etcetera etcetera.” Logan said, “Just think of all things Princey:  try to get inside his head,”  
“I doubt there’s very much going on inside Roman’s head, Logan,”

“Your mockery aside, Virgil, you get what I mean. Do you think you’re able to do that, Thomas?”

All the sides turned to look at Thomas, a sort of nervous apprehension behind each of their eyes. Thomas swallowed.

“Yes. Let’s go see what’s up.”


	2. Roman's Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman hadn't answered any Thomas' summons, but surely has was okay.
> 
>  
> 
> Right?

Thomas had _never_ enjoyed the tingling sensation that ‘popping up’ brought, but today his head was reeling and his stomach jumped about three feet higher than it should be. Swallowing down his small worries over Roman and a not-so-small amount of vomit that crept up his oesophagus, Thomas found himself facing a door twice his height, made out of intricately carved Mahogany (how the heck did Thomas know that?) that depicted scenes of knights valiantly slaying dragons, rescuing princes/princesses from burning towers, kissing babies, etc. Basically all the paragon-knightly stuff that Roman was into.

“Well, we’re here,” Logan stated unemotionally, walking briskly towards the door before knocking on it loudly with his knuckles

“Roman? Hey kiddo, it’s just us! Just checking in on ya!” Patton called good-naturedly

No response.                                                                                                

The anxious knot in Thomas’ stomach started contracting again

“Uh, hello? Romano? Sir Sing-A-Lot?”  Virgil prodded, throwing Patton and Logan a look that Thomas was pretty sure translated to _‘is this guy for real?’._ Smirking slightly, Logan tried again, rapping even louder on the door

“Roman, we just wanted to check you’re okay! Thomas has been summoning you for _hours_.” Patton offered

“Roman, if you don’t open this door, we’re just going to unlock it ourselves. So whatever moping you’re doing over another ‘lost true love’, I suggest you get your butt out here before we burst in to you singing ‘Satisfied’ or something,” Virgil mocked again, rolling his eyes.

They waited in silence for about a minute, before Logan sighed.

“Well. We may as well give the door a try, who knows- we may be able to catch him off gua-” Logan’s voice came to a halt as the door swung open easily beneath his hand. He turned to face the others, a puzzled expression on his face, when suddenly, a thorn, almost identical to the ones from the old, animated Sleeping Beauty film, surged past him, through the gap in the door, and impaled itself into the wall, ripping Virgil’s hood and snatching the headphones from his ears.

They stood in a stunned silence for a second, before Virgil seemingly remembering how to breathe snapped them out of it.

The thorn had missed Virgil’s face by a _millimetre_ , at the very most.

Without another word, Logan and Patton sprinted into Roman’s room, shortly followed by Thomas and a now-panting Virgil.

Now, if Thomas had any doubts about what the thorns were reminiscent of before, they were completely and utterly obliterated by the chaos that was Roman’s room. It was a giant, decadent thrown room, or at least _had_ been, because now there were giant barbed thorns wrapped around every marble pillar, sneaking in through what would have once been large, colourfully-decorated stained glass windows, diving in and out of the checker-board floor like a prehistoric sea monsters, churning up the rough oceans and bringing sailors to their watery graves at the bottom of the sea. Thorn brambles were everywhere, and there was no clear path through the hue mess that should have been a splendid chamber. Roman’s room was in utter disarray.

Suddenly, Patton gasped from beside Thomas “Guys! Look up there-it’s Roman!”

They followed Patton’s pointing finger, and there Roman hung; pinned to the far wall by tendrils of Thorns, looking far too much like a wooden carving of Jesus that you would see in a church for it to be coincidental, complete with a thorn crown upon Roman’s drooping head. He seemed to be unconscious, and he looked a pasty off-white colour. There was a red cut on his cheek, and two other slightly larger ones on his stomach and leg. His sword hung roughly a meter to his left, and his left hand was extended, like he was holding it when he was slammed into the wall. He was relatively high up, and Thomas couldn’t fathom how he had gotten all the way up there. Roman looked completely helpless, and it struck absolute fear into Thomas’ heart. If someone had done this to _Roman_ , his knightly side who was most definitely not opposed to defending himself, what would they do to someone like _Patton_ , who saw the best in everyone and everything, and wouldn’t be able to defend himself? The thought made Thomas’ breath come short.

Virgil took a deep breath from behind Thomas, and stepped forwards, “We need to rescue him,” he said resolutely. Logan looked at him, lost for once. This was not his area of expertise, in fact he was more lost than Thomas had ever seen him before, and he’d seen Logan try to comprehend Homophobia and Transphobia. It seemed like somebody else would have to take charge, and it seemed Virgil had put himself up for that job.

Now, he knew that Virgil didn’t really hate Princey as much as he claimed to do, but he couldn’t help but be surprised by this sudden burst of leadership from the normally reclusive and shy side. He could tell that Virgil was shaken by the whole ordeal, and he was most likely fending off an anxiety attack- judging from the slight undertones in his voice, and the fact that his eyeshadow resembled that of a racoon that hadn’t slept a night since the great depression- so where had this sudden spurt of leadership come from? Thomas hadn’t the foggiest, but before he could ask, Virgil had shot him a small smile, beckoned for the other sides to follow him, and ran off quickly.  

Logan and Patton started after him, and Thomas moved to follow them, only to find Patton shaking his head at him.

“Better you stay here, kiddo,” He said, “After all; we wouldn’t want to get you hurt- if anything happens to you here, it happens in the real world.”

“But I want to hel-” Thomas stuttered, before Logan cut him off

“Patton’s right, Thomas. We don’t yet know the intentions of this… intruder… and to assume that they mean you no harm would be a foolish and reckless presumption. Who knows, maybe this whole ordeal was a trap to lure you here? So for the mean time, I suggest you sit this one out.”

Sighing, Thomas nodded grimly, “Just call me if you need any help, alright?”

Logic and Morality ran off, eager to join Anxiety, leaving Thomas there alone, with nothing but a steadily growing bundle of panic in his gut to keep him company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to thank everyone who commented, left kudos and bookmarked my last chapter, and also apologize for the delay- I was meant to have this out sooner, but school's been kicking my ass and so the chapter was out later than I'd like. Thanks again for your support, and for so many of you picking up on a subtle clue in the previous chapter!


	3. The Guessing Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After leaving Thomas at the entrance to Roman's room, the other sides venture onward, in a valiant attempt to rescue Roman. But is everything- and everyone- as they seem?

**_Logan_ **

Logan couldn’t deny that he was feeling slightly guilty over not realising that Roman had been grave danger this entire time. He should have discerned that all was not right with the fanciful side. He couldn’t help but feel- he snorted to himself; _feel_ \- that he often misjudged just how influential Roman actually was- without him, Thomas seemed to be wandering around aimlessly. He would pick up a book, and then put it down not five minutes later, unable to envision the characters and their fanciful predicaments, which, no matter how nonsensical, usually came as simply as blinking to such a fantasist. He was the logical side! Surely he should’ve determined that Thomas’ lack of innovative thought was being caused by something _more_ than just Roman not realising Thomas was summoning him; Creativity was a core part of Thomas, and could not simply be ‘cut out’. Plus, Logan himself had experienced this- when he had stormed out of Patton’s room after they would all not listen to his reasoning, he had still been fully aware of their emotions ( _ugh_ ) and their conversations. In retrospect, him leaving seemed to have shocked all of them out of their depression-induced daze. Yet, Roman seemed to be completely out of the equation, which brought an uneasy sense of unknowing to Logan’s stomach. He was already out of his comfort zone by being in this realm of reverie, and now he faced with even more unknowns? This day was truly despicable- and it wasn’t even 2 pm. Roman had better buy him an entire truck full of Crofters for what Logan was putting himself through in the name of the fanciful side.

Grumbling aside, Logan was still following Virgil’s winding path through the maze of thorns that once was Roman’s splendid demesne, with Patton tailing him after delivering a warning to Thomas. He was glad that Thomas was staying behind, however if one of his sides were to be harmed to the point of what would technically count as _death_ , Logan doubt Thomas could ever be the same again. In all honesty, if whatever fiend had conjured these thorns and captured Roman truly wanted to hurt Thomas and his sides, Logan wasn’t sure if they would all make it. He was simply playing a guessing game, calculating that they didn’t want to hurt Thomas or his sides- and wagering the lives of his friends in a strange gamble with an unknown opponent. If anything went wrong, if any of them _didn’t_ make it back out, the blame would rest on him.

 Up ahead, Logan saw Virgil pause, most likely looking for a path through the thickening labyrinth of spikes. Thankful for the chance to finally catch up to the anxious side, Logan came to a swift halt next to the hoodie-clad figure, Patton following suit shortly after.

“There’s gotta be a path _somewhere_ ,” Virgil muttered under his breath, standing on the tips of his large boots in an attempt to gain some perspective over the gargantuan forest of thorns, to no avail. Patton wandered off to their left, claiming that he was going to look for a route out. Logan nodded, and Virgil yelled something along the lines of ‘be careful!’ before he resumed his most likely futile task of trying to hack at a gnarled thorn that was seemingly indestructible, as Virgil had been swinging at it for a considerable amount of time now- and with some vigour- to not have made a single dent. The sword he was using looked like it had most definitely seen better days, though. 

Now that he thought about it, why had Virgil been able to completely remove himself from the equation? In that moment of frustration at Patton’s unyielding affection towards someone who Logan had been so _sure_ they were finally done with and were over, he had truly wanted to leave, to remove himself from Thomas’ thought process, and to see just how they fared without him. To watch them scramble about a man who probably barely thought about Thomas anymore and make complete and utter fools of themselves. And for a little while, he indulged in that temptation, before realising that without his- well, _logic_ \- the others would never come to the conclusion they were meant to, and they would most likely dig themselves into an even deeper hole of embarrassment and nostalgic longing for a past that could never return. However, he’d soon realized that him leaving the conversation and staying in his room would not remove Thomas’ logic from him: he was far too deeply ingrained into his psyche for him to ever leave, Logan had concluded, and would remain with Thomas to the day he died. Virgil, on the other hand, had managed to completely and utterly remove himself from Thomas, leaving Patton, Roman and Logan with a bumbling fool of a host.  How had he been able to do that? Maybe it was because he truly believed that he wasn’t wanted around, unlike Logan, who’d simply been feeling angry? Whatever it was, Logan resolved to ask him about it later, once this whole trying ordeal had come to an end- that was, if they both made it out. Logan grimaced slightly at the thought of any of the other sides being too damaged to contribute to Thomas’ personality- now _that_ would surely be a trialling predicament.

From behind Logan, Patton let out a small whoop of triumph.

“Guys! I’ve found a path through!” He exclaimed, beckoning them over with his hand and pointing to a small space, only large enough for them to crawl through single file.

“Will we be able to even _fit_ in there?” Virgil asked apprehensively.

“Yes, however I suggest you exercise caution- we do not yet know what these thorns do if they prick you, and with the so-far hostile nature of this room, I am in no hurry to find out.”

“No touching the pointy thorns. Right. Got it. “Patton said nervously, anxiously readjusting his jumper with one hand, “Well, who wants to go first?”

 After neither Patton nor Logan made any signs to indicate that they would like to take the lead, Virgil sighed.

“Come on,” he murmured, before getting onto his hands and knees and crawling through the tight tunnel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for there being a lapse in chapters, guys! I was feeling really unmotivated, but the lovely comments on both of the previous chapters really spurred me to keep writing. Thanks so much for the continued support of my work! This chapter was also brought to you by Logan's poetic waxing letting me drop even more less-subtle hints, and I have to say that Logan's perspective is my favourite to write from. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for all the kudos, comments and bookmarks, and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	4. Questions Left Unanswered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Face to face with a new threat, can Logan, Patton and Virgil save Roman before it's too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the huge lapse in chapters guys! I came down with the flu, and it's knocked a good week and a half out of me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

**Patton**

Patton had barely managed to extract himself from the tunnel and stand up when a sinister voice wrung out across the room.

Virgil turned pale as a ghost, and Logan looked around determinedly, obviously hoping to find the owner of such a foreboding and malicious laugh, only to be met with walls of spikes and no answers. There was an uneasy tension to the air, and even though Roman’s room was helping to bolster his confidence slightly, Patton was suddenly overcome with a wave of paralysing fear. Like a small child, he reached out, subconsciously grabbing onto Logan’s hand like the logical side was an anchor, tying him to a reality that was drifting too much into Disney movie territory for it to feel very much like reality.  Virgil backed up, so the three remaining sides were pressed together in a triangle of safety, with Virgil wielding his battered sword with one hand and steadying Patton with the other. He looked strangely in control, Patton realised, and like he knew what he was doing, which was greatly comforting. Logan was completely and utterly confused with what was going on, and Patton had never been anything of a leader- he was a Hufflepuff for a _reason_ \- so having Virgil step up and take charge was a good idea. It was incredibly brave of him too; Patton mused, and bit back a smile. He loved Virgil like a brother- a small, snarky, anxious brother- and so he was so proud of him pushing himself to new limits. The empowering aura of Roman’s room was most likely helping, too.

But now wasn’t the time for praises: they still didn’t know the owner of that voice, and Roman ( _poor Roman!)_  was still strung up on the wall, and looking weaker and weaker by the minute.  They held position for a minute, before Patton let out a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding in.

“Who do you think that wa-” Patton barely had time to mutter a sentence before a dark shadowy figure shot in front of him, knocking Virgil off his feet and sending him flying. He landed a few metres away, grunting upon impact.

Angrily, Logan turned to face the dark figure, only to meet cold, black eyes and a grin so malevolent that he took a step back involuntarily. He was dressed in an all-black suit, with a cloak or cape of some sort draped over his shoulders. On anyone else, the outfit would’ve looked foolish, but the figure made it look like the attire of tyrannical rulers, the type you don’t cross and get away with your life. The figure chuckled, and Patton’s blood ran cold.

“Fear,” he whispered, his voice nearly inaudible. The figure continued laughing.

“Well, well, well! It seems the Cavalry has arrived!” He mocked, his voice sending shivers sprinting down Patton’s spine and causing every hair on the back of his neck to stand straight up. He turned to acknowledge the sides, “Patton, Logan and-” he turned with a mock gasp, “ _Virgil_? Long time no see. How _are_ you?”

Patton saw Virgil stiffen, and his eyes gleamed angrily at the black-suit-clad figure.  Logan was casting a perplexed look over at Virgil, who was now standing with his sword at his side, his knuckles white around the hilt.

Fear looked back over to Logan and Patton, and chuckled again.

“Oh, so dear old Virgil _hasn’t_ told you? I didn’t think so,” Logan started to ask Virgil what Fear was talking about, but Patton put a hand on his arm and shot him a _not now_ look. There was most definitely questions that needed to be asked, but now was not the right time. They could discuss this over some hot chocolate, when they were all out of this mess and Roman was back to his old, ostentatious self. Sensing there was going to be no conflict, Fear drawled on:

“Do you like what I’ve done with the place? I simply _hated_ what Roman was doing, and I think I’ve improved on his design quite a bit, don’t you? Of course, he had some objections, but it was nothing a little bit of…. _artistic persuasion_ …. couldn’t resolve,”

This was the final straw for Patton, who took an angry step forwards before pointing a finger at fear,

“N-now you listen here, Fear! This is _Roman’s_ room, and you have no place here! You’re gonna be sorry for what you’ve done to him!”

“Oh am I?” Fear asked incredulously, his eyebrows lifting slightly as his eyes trawled over the pointing side before him in a way that made Patton’s skin crawl. Sensing his discomfort, Fear continued after a moment of tense silence, “Morality, right? Well, they do say knights are pure of heart. So tell me, _Morality_ , are you the knight in shining armour here?”

Patton stammered for an answer, before eventually lapsing into an intimidated hush. Fear snickered at the effect he had on the side.

“No? I didn’t think so,” He declared, and, with a flick of his wrist, thorns surged down from the wall they’d just passed through, and slammed Patton into the wall.

Immediately, terrible, _awful_ images and voices filled his head. Images of Joan lying dead on a hospital bed, pale and so very thin, and of Talyn, backed into a corner with terror shining in their eyes. There were voices of Jamahl, yelling out in pain after what sounded like gunshots, and a voice he didn’t know yelling for him to stop resisting, even after the fire. So many voices, all of people Patton and Thomas cared about so _much_ , all in pain, or in danger, or dead. Patton wanted to scream and curl up into a ball and hide at the same time. He wanted the horrible noise to _go away_ and _stop hurting his friends_.

He was vaguely aware of someone rushing to his side and prising one of the tendrils off of him, and yanking him out from underneath it. He felt strong hands gripping his arms, tethering him to the real world, and he was semi-aware of a voice talking to him, asking him if he was alright. He knew who this person was, he was sure, but his mind was still trapped in those sickening images and he wasn’t really sure if the person in front of him was even real anymore. But then he felt the hands wrapped firmly around his arms loosen slightly, and the index finger start tapping rhythmically. Someone was whispering something to him, and he strained his ears to hear they were saying

_“-Breathe, Patton. You’ve got to breathe. Can you do that for me?”_

Breathe. He could breathe right? Patton zeroed in on the tapping on his arms, and counted the seconds. _Breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven seconds and exhale for eight._ Patton knew this; he’d done this plenty of times before. He could breathe, now, and the horrendous images and voices and finally left him alone, and the whispering person had pulled him into a tight hug, their hands rubbing soothing circles on his back. Patton leaned in, and breathed in a scent unmistakeably Logan- something that managed to smell like science experiments, fresh books and biro ink all at the same time. This was good- Logan was safe, and Logan wouldn’t let those things happen to his friends. Logan was real, and those things were not. Patton repeated those words over and over again in his head like a mantra, and eventually his heat rate dropped back to normal, and Logan released him from his embrace. Now, he could hear Virgil yelling, and the sound of metal clashing. Logan may have been safe, but Roman and Virgil weren’t, and what kind of a friend would he be if he stood back and allowed them to be hurt. So, with slightly trembling legs, Patton pushed himself to his feet, and ran to go save his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is this mysterious figure? And how does he know Virgil? All will soon be revealed....
> 
> Patton's POV this time! I hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter, and sorry again for how long it took to get it out.


	5. Darkness

** Roman **

 

 

 

 

Dark

 

 

 

 

 

It's 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh

So

 

 

 

 

**Dark**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_And I'm afraid_


	6. Thirteen Minutes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding Roman unconscious and wounded in his own room, Fear offers them a deal- they have thirteen minutes to rescue Roman, or Fear will do the unspeakable. But can they do it? And what is Virgil hiding?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised that I never really explained the title of this fic. The song is In the Valley of the Dolls by Marina and the Diamonds because I felt it kinda fir for the Sander Sides? I put Roman to a lot of Marina and the Diamond's songs, especially him being stuck on the wall to the line 'And my branches are heavy' from Froot. Anyways, enjoy the trash chapter!

**Logan**

  
Patton was still shaking like a leaf when Logan helped him to his feet, yet he protested this observation greatly, stating that he was ‘just a little winded, friendo', and that they just really needed to help Virgil, who was locked in a rather one-sided battle with Fear- the villainous side would laugh and dissipate into a silhouette of black mist that smelt frankly _awful_ and made Virgil cough and gag incessantly. Virgil was less than well-versed in the art of sword fighting, so he had resorted to the rather barbaric method of swinging the warped blade every way he thought there was a chance of hitting Fear. He never did, of course, but Logan was impressed with how determined he was to protect his friends. As soon as he saw Logan and Patton running towards them, he let out a sigh of relief in knowing that they both were okay. They joined the anxious side, the three of them forming a line facing Roman and the rest of the thorn labyrinth. Logan studied the shadows intensely for any sign of the suit-clad side, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. No matter what, they were getting Roman out of here, even if it took violence to do so.  
“Where is he?” Virgil spat angrily, eyes darting around the room with venomous intent shining through. Patton pulled his shoulders back and puffed out his chest slightly in an, albeit a _slightly_ ridiculous, attempt at seeming confident and threatening.  
“I'm right here,” Fear sung, from his place perched atop a particularly thick bramble, only a few feet away from the still unconscious Roman, “How about we play a little game, huh? You have... oh, hell, _thirteen_ minutes to get to good ole _Princey_ here, or well” he smiled manically, “ let's just hope that Joan’s creativity is enough for two people, _eh_?”  
Logan bristled. Fear was giving them thirteen minutes- _only 780 seconds_ \- to cross the room, climb the thorns and get Roman down or-  
Well, Logan hated to think of the horrible things that Fear could do to a defenceless Roman, and considering how much Fear truly _hated_ Roman, Logan reasoned it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for Fear to actually want to  the creative side, either. So they'd have to beat Fear at his own game, rescue Roman and manage to lock Fear in Roman's room somehow, if they wanted Roman to even have a chance, but even that was a temporary fit, meant for a week, at the very most. Roman would have to return to his room at some point to battle fear (the last time they'd encountered Fear, roughly a week after Felix had disappeared and Virgil had first made himself known, Fear had shown up and nearly incapacitated Thomas before Roman vanquished him with a sword in an admittedly awesome battle) and Logan could only hope that he'd had enough time to recover before he was forced into that fight. However, now was the time to focus on the fights of the present, and the seemingly impossible task Fear had just set them.  
“Virgil, you take his right, I'll take the centre-“ Logan had just began saying before Virgil cut him off.  
“He’s more vulnerable on his left- it’s his blind spot,”  
“How do you know that?” Logan asked, doubtingly.  
“Uh, Roman told me. Ages ago. Yeah,” Virgil lied unconvincingly, hand coming up to scratch at his neck nervously in his tell-tale sign that he was lying. Logan was itching to find out whatever huge secret Virgil had been hiding from them, but he was smart enough to look past his burning curiosity and realize that there was vastly more important things to be concerned with at the current moment- like the task of rescuing possibly the most physically talented one out of them all from the hands of a madman who smelt like the deepest part of an ancient Roman sewer.  
“Alright. But just know that I am not dropping this subject, Virgil. You owe all of us a few answers,” Logan said after a moment. Virgil nodded solemnly, looking like someone had just punched him in the gut. Guilt flared in Logan for putting that expression on Virgil’s face, especially after he swore to himself to never let Virgil feel unwanted after the events that took place in said anxious side’s room, but if whatever secret Virgil was keeping gave them any ideas on how Fear had managed to get into Roman's room, Logan needed to know. The ‘Dark Sides’ had been more active as of late, and Logan couldn’t ignore the nagging suspicion that they were planning something; if so, Logan needed to know absolutely everything he could if they wanted to have a chance against the collective might of the Dark sides. Deceit was of a master of well, deception, and Fear was both talented in physical combat and mind games- whatever it took to get under his opponent’s skin, he was good at. Logan had never actually met his counterpart from the dark part of Thomas' mind, however he was surely as formidable as both Fear and Deceit. He hadn’t met Virgil's dark side, either. The increasing amounts of unknowns already today was unnerving Logan greatly.  
“So... I'll take the right?” Patton piped up encouragingly. Virgil nodded back, turning to Logan sheepishly.  
“Would you mind taking the centre Lo?”  
Logan shook his head, but then the realization struck him, “Bu that leaves you-“  
“With his left, yeah,” Virgil smiled a small smile, “I have an, uh, _theory,_ I'd like to test. If that's alright with you?”  
“Sure it is Kiddo! But please, don't hesitate to tell for help. Fear made a big mistake when he invaded Roman's room- you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!” Patton put his hand forwards, before glancing at Logan with hopeful eyes, “Come on, Lo. For team spirit?”  
Logan sighed, but put his hand forwards so it hovered just above Patton, who was beaming at him. Mumbling something along the lines of ‘this is so cheesy' with absolutely no meanness in his voice, Virgil placed his hand on top of Logan’s, glancing around at the two other sides. He looked resolute in his plan, and Logan could only hope that his theory was correct. Patton flung his hand up into the air, Virgil and Logan both following suit. Then, together, they turned to face Fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who takes twenty two days for a sub-par update?  
> Min-or Dei-ties!
> 
> So yeah, sorry for the lack in chapters guys, but hopefully I'll have time to write some more soon. Enjoy the few not-so-subtle hints I dropped. I promised answers, but all you're getting is more questions. Sorry bout that. All will be revealed soon! Maybe. Hopefully. Possibly. Anyways, thank you so much for the continued support on this work, and thanks so much for all the comments and kudos, you have no clue how much it means to me. See ya next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh! Thank you guys so much for clicking on my fic!
> 
> This actually my first fanfiction anywhere, and I'm so thankful to anyone who reads, comments and/or gives Kudos. I also just want to mention that this was written very soon after 'Can Lying be Good?' came out, so that as more Sander Sides videos are released, the contents of this story may become outdated. 
> 
> But anyways, I hope you enjoyed!


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